High School Boss
by 1arigato
Summary: After the Representative Battles of the Rainbow, Tsuna's going to be Vongola Decimo in more than just name, and the world is going to realise that Vongola's tenth generation is more than just a bunch of kids. All those rumours of their power? Not exaggerated ENOUGH, apparently. [Republished per reader request]
1. Chapter 1

I posted this way back in June 10, 2014, then removed it from FFN in August 4, 2018.

Summary: After the Representative Battles of the Rainbow, Tsuna's going to be Vongola Decimo in more than just name, and the world is going to realise that Vongola's tenth generation is more than just a bunch of kids. All those rumours of their power? Not exaggerated ENOUGH, apparently.

* * *

Original A/N: Chapter updates are _slow,_ as they depend on when my efforts at organisation see portions of my fanfic notes into releasable "raw chapters" like Chapter 11. At the end of the day, I aim to at least reveal the villains' identities, their plans, Tsuna's (secret) plans, and how it all comes to a conclusion.

Thank you for all your support! It's unfortunate that I had to migrate all my works off because of my loss of anonymity. I wouldn't have gone this far as a writer without all of you dear readers anyway. Thanks again, and please feel free to PM me your comments or questions!

New A/N: Since many of you have been PMing me about the struggle of finding HSB, I've decided to post it on FFN again. _Please_ do not repost this without my permission! Thank you. I'm mortally embarrassed about my chuuni-age writing style, and am flattered that you guys like it. New readers, please feel free to leave a review!

* * *

Chapter 1

Mafia children everywhere followed the tenth generation Vongola guardians like they were sports stars.

Mukuro of the Six Paths could almost completely fool Vendice with illusions by the age of fifteen, and at the same time was also deadly in close-combat, which no illusionist had ever accomplished before – even the ex-Arcobaleno Mammon. Aspiring illusionists looked up to Mukuro in wonder.

His girl counterpart, Chrome, was said to be a quiet, shy character, but could fool trained eyes with illusions just the same like Mukuro, proving that gender did _not_ dictate how strong one could be. She was mafia girls' favourite.

Sasagawa Ryohei gave hope to those wishing to join the medical field, as he did not let his inherently support-type flame attribute stop him from dishing out the most explosive, destructive punches when needed – punches even ex-Arcobaleno Colonello had to acknowledge. Ryohei was proof a medic didn't have to be someone who could only sit at the sidelines.

Lambo was a role-model to the much, _much_ younger mafiosi. Despite his becoming guardian at half the age of the other guardians, Lambo always _tolerated_ when the going seemed tough. To even the older children's shock, it was rumoured he attacked Reborn often and still walked away unscathed. Indeed, it was said the young Lightning Guardian could take grenades, a punch from the Reborn, or even three million volts of electricity and simply pop back up a beat later.

Hibari Kyouya's renown spread like him: in few words and great impact. Young mafiosi were awed that even the adults had to respect the raw power and fighting prowess of the "strongest tenth generation Vongola guardian," as well as his ability to lead a disciplinary group.

The Vongola Decimo's right- and left-hand men, Smokin' Bomb Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi respectively, were many children's stars as well.

Most in the mafia scorned those whose fighting style was mid to long-range, but Gokudera Hayato had risen not only from an aimless punk in Italy to a guardian of the strongest mafia famiglia, but had become the Decimo's _right-hand man. _It was an honoured position in _any_ mafia famiglia, much less that of Vongola.

Yamamoto Takeshi's natural talent amazed many with his flawless transition of wielding one sword to four to two without changing his inherent style, and it was rumoured even Reborn had commented that Yamamoto was a natural hitman.

No one, however, amazed the younger generations of the mafia like the Vongola Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi.

He began as a civilian, which already inspired scepticism in the mafia world over if he could truly become worthy of leading the strongest mafia famiglia, especially as civilians in Tsuna's own area called him useless. When this "no good" civilian beat Rokudo Mukuro and his gang, however, mafia children became curious while the adults scoffed, claiming it was but a small scuffle in Japan. Yet when Tsuna won against _Xanxus_ in a ring battle for position as Vongola Decimo just weeks following the Kokuyo incident, somehow, even the adults couldn't think of the faceless Japanese boy as a mere civilian anymore.

When Vongola announced it would conduct the Inheritance Ceremony, privileged famiglias that came burned with curiosity over the tenth generation, but the guardians' failure in stopping a surprise attack from the Shimon Famiglia simply made the mafia world sceptical again. Perhaps all those stories about the Vongola X Generation were just rumours Vongola spread to prevent them from seeming weak?

How the Shimon conflict was resolved, the clam famiglia was silent about, but it was said that young Sawada had touched the Shimon don's heart, and the tenth generation gained a new ally in the Shimon Famiglia following that. It was also said that Vendice and the long deceased Vongola Primo's mist guardian Daemon Spade were supposedly involved in the conflict as well, so no one hurried to believe the stories right away. The children didn't stop believing in the Vongola Decimo, though, when they heard Rokudo Mukuro was walking around in Japan in the flesh after the conflict. After all, how could the ex-convict be around unless Vendice freed him? Vendice couldn't have a change of heart unless _something_ happened during the Shimon conflict.

News of the Rainbow Representative Battles was the real killer.

The famiglias involved were tight-lipped about the details, but no one could escape hearing how Sawada Tsunayoshi gathered allies and even people who were once his greatest opponents – including Six Paths Mukuro and his gang, the Shimon boss Enma Kozato, and the stubborn and powerful Xanxus of Varia. Tsuna held a meeting with such characters that led to the ultimate resolving of the Arcobaleno representative battles. Supposedly, there were too many witnesses of the meeting to deny the story – something about Dino Cavallone's men crowding around the house – but adults still had trouble believing it. Children did not, for if there was evidence or as close as one could get to it, then why try denying something extraordinary?

After the Rainbow Representative Battles, any news of the Vongola Tenth Generation had suddenly gone silent, and the young generations of the mafia were disappointed to no longer hear of their "sports stars." What both the children and the adults of the mafia didn't know was that there was a certain Namimori student whose grandfather figure decided after the Rainbow Representative Battle that it was time for the boy to take on responsibilities as Vongola Decimo.

And so the wheels started turning.

* * *

Reborn looked at a framed picture that sat on the desk of Tsuna's bedroom, his lips twitching in a smile at the memory. The photo was taken when the ex-Arcobaleno had thanked Tsuna greatly for what he did the day following the final Rainbow Representative Battle. Nana had exclaimed she had never seen her son be hugged by so many infants, but when Uni and _Lal_ bent over to kiss Tsuna on the cheek, not even Tsuna's desperate pleas to his mother could calm the woman, and the picture Nana took was shared with Iemitsu.

Basil mischievously leaked to the other agents of CEDEF how the grown man cried and smothered Tsuna in a hug with, "My precious Tsunayoshi! Why do you have to attract girls at so young an age? Daddy won't hand you over so easily–––!"

When they heard of it, the CEDEF members rolled their eyes in the immature act of their leader, who especially sounded obnoxious when he couldn't even finish a sentence without sobbing.

When Dino's voice broke over Reborn's recollecting, the hitman inwardly sighed.

Reborn knew Dino had a tendency to talk much when excited or stressed on a subject, but this was quite lengthy, even for the blonde. After the final Rainbow Representative Battle, Dino had finally wished to speak of the Vongola Nono's decision choosing Tsuna as his successor with such bad timing, and his emotions bled into his speech since the Cavallone had grown to know Tsuna personally over the course of the year.

"Tsuna was raised outside of the mafia up until recently, so I see the logic in having Tsuna involved in matters he theoretically should have been introduced to in the beginning, but _famiglia matters_ and _boss responsibilities_ differ greatly in the energy required to put in! It is true that Tsuna and I started tutorship under you at the same age, and are now individuals who have surpassed our ancestors, but it took me _years_ to arrive to where I am. Tsuna took _nine months._"

Dino scratched his recent injury, a slash that vertically ran from his shoulder to his waist, courtesy to Jaeger.

"That level of growth is unheard of, Reborn. Considering Tsuna's accomplishments, the span of time it took to complete them, and that his ancestors include the founder of Vongola himself, one day of rest after the final representative battle doesn't sound like enough!"

Dino knew his tutor wasn't completely cold-hearted, but in light of recent knowledge that Tsuna was willing to risk dying at Vendice's hands or taking on the burden as an Arcobaleno, the young don at least deserved a break. That the Ninth was now pushing several boss responsibilities on Tsuna was enough for Dino to pull his hair out in worry for his little brother figure.

Reborn huffed. "There's corruption in Vongola; the Ninth recognises he has been running the famiglia the old-fashioned way and wants a fresher mind to take the reins. Tsuna is needed as soon as possible." Reborn was composed until he looked away. Dino knew that his ex-tutor felt the same.

The Cavallone sighed, as he couldn't deny the truth of Reborn's statement. When the blonde dropped his head, a yellow object caught his eye, and his head lifted in curiosity.

"Why do you wear that?"

Reborn followed Dino's gaze to the fake yellow pacifier on his chest–

_"Why did you say you've never expected to die a decent death!?"_

_Dame-Tsuna. _

"_Have you been thinking like that the entire time you were at my side! Even when we were all having fun…were you thinking of something so _bad!?_" Tsuna was shouting in anger, but Reborn could see in his student's eyes that Tsuna was inwardly crying. "__**You're a failure as a home tutor!**__ This time, I will teach you…!" _

_Tsuna's voice suddenly failed, and he turned away to collapse on the temple steps. Reborn thought his student was crying, but when he sat down as well and saw a bone-deep weariness, he realised that Tsuna had simply grown _tired_ of crying. _

_"Reborn…" Tsuna murmured softly, triggering a soft fear in Reborn,_

_"…I'm not going to let you die." _

_Reborn was eventually alone. _

_Of course he was, he liked tricking Tsuna to leave him alone. _

_"You finally became like I wanted," Reborn murmured, "but impossible things are impossible." There was a suddenly deep twist in his heart, and Reborn knew it was the same sadness he saw reflected in Tsuna's eyes. _

_Tch. _

_"How troublesome."_

—and looked up to smirk at Dino. "Habit," Reborn lied.

The pacifier reminded him of the one person who made a professional hitman like Reborn experience genuine emotion again. It was a reminder, and he didn't feel like getting rid of it.

Reborn did not miss the irony that a schoolboy called "no good" by his own classmates – an existence too pathetic and forgettable to the old Reborn's eyes – was the precise person who touched his heart when he already doubted he had one.

Dino shot a look at his former tutor that conveyed, _I'm trusting you to watch over Tsuna despite what Nono might command._

Reborn didn't give a response to that, but the two mafiosi understood that come fire or ice, they would never abandon Tsuna.

* * *

Aside from Dino and Reborn's serious talk, the daily life following the Rainbow Representative Battle was certainly entertaining.

Reborn amusedly watched Tsuna run about in a state of distress as he shouted an exasperated reminder after his cloud guardian that _his collarbone was still broken and patrolling could be left to Kusakabe, so he didn't even have __**be**__ at school with his condition, really!_ and checking up on his sun guardian nervously with a constant, _go straight home once you start feeling tired, Onii-san, because healing many people can be exhausting, and we're all very grateful for it–_ but Reborn also observed that several of his student's guardians were keeping a watchful eye of their own.

Gokudera was rearing to knock down Tsuna's bullies if they so much as looked at the brunette wrong, and the dynamite user had a good harvest since the other usual bully target was gone due to the Shimon boss and his famiglia returning to Simon Middle after the Representative Battle.

Yamamoto was more sensitive to Tsuna's needs as well, and the brunette would often turn to find his dropped pencil mysteriously back on his desk, or a bottle of water already in hand's reach when his throat went dry from fretting over Ryohei and Hibari.

Chrome, Kyoko, and Hana seemed to have understood something of the situation, for they managed to deflect enough suspicion or attention from Namichuu faculty and students from Tsuna and his guardians.

Tsuna was also quick to reach home while being mindful of his friends' states. Hibari may have had the worst injury, but Ryohei had used flames the longest among his fellow guardians on the day of the last Representative Battle, and Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Chrome had fought Vendice. The last three weren't spared Tsuna's mother-henning once the brunette was given the chance. It was only Haru's often unexpected but welcomed appearances and combined adamance with Kyoko that the two girls would walk Chrome home to Kokuyo Land that Tsuna didn't escort the female illusionist himself in fear that Chrome would suddenly grow tired and get lost. Or be attacked by robbers. Or–

Reborn's student had quite the imagination.

Once Tsuna, Yamamoto, and Gokudera would reach the Sawada Residence, Tsuna would check up on his dad, Basil, and Dino. The former was persuaded (forced) to stay for a while, and the latter two had agreed to stay with the Sawadas after they were released from the hospital, with Dino pulling out of his teacher cover due to his healing injuries.

(Iemitsu wasn't going to so easily admit that his son's private speech with him, after the Arcobaleno curse was lifted, made him feel really guilty about leaving Nana home alone for long periods of time.)

After the humorous wife-choosing prank Reborn pulled on Tsuna and the congratulations he gave to his student in being a future Neo Primo – which was the same as Vongola Decimo, really, and Tsuna huffed at that – the brunette's fretting over everyone's condition seemed to tame a bit.

A bit.

Tsuna would still send glances in the general direction of where Varia, the Kokuyo gang, and "Millefiore" stayed in Japan before their key members recovered enough to return to responsibilities. Reborn could only sigh at his student's unnecessary concern, because really, what small Japanese kid worried over foreign assassins and mafiosi who had threatened the safety of himself and his friends at least once? These guys could obviously take care of themselves.

By the seventh day, however, Reborn finally decided action had to be taken.

With stolen phone numbers in hand and a telephone Leon in the other, Reborn located a Hibari and Mukuro fighting in the middle of a Namimori forest, with Dino trailing behind his ex-tutor. The two guardians' breaths were laboured despite their best efforts, and their faces contorted with pain whenever their broken collarbone shifted. All in all, the pair were _total idiots_ for moving about in their condition — something Reborn caught Tsuna mutter under his breath once and amusedly filed away in his mind — and the sluggish pace they fought could have hardly deemed their interaction a battle.

It was easy stopping the two teens and forcing them to listen to Reborn as he rang a hotel room and Byakuran, before continuing on to explain the main topic of the group discussion to be Tsuna, primarily his recent behaviour.

"Ah, Tsuna's been like that the entire week," Dino smiled with laughing eyes at Reborn's description of the brunette for the past several days, but when Reborn reflected no such amusement, Dino's smile melted off, and Mukuro and Hibari looked up at the hitman's silence from where they were staring elsewhere in a resolute attempt to appear uninterested.

"He gets nightmares."

Far away, Byakuran's smiling eyes opened, and his lips thinned to a small frown. In an extravagant hotel a distance away from where former Team Uni stayed, Xanxus's hand that was stirring a glass of wine stilled. Red eyes glanced at a part of his arm where under his sleeves was scarring from a mix of illusions, sun flame regeneration, and stitching to mend his arm back together. Squalo said nothing as he continued to hold the phone put on speaker.

"Of the battle," Reborn elaborated. "Of coming to a scene where he thinks everyone is dead or at least almost there."

Dino felt extremely guilty for not understanding his "lil' bro's" recent behaviour better, and Mukuro and Hibari shared a glance for the briefest of moments. Unbeknownst to the six, they subconsciously touched the place on themselves where a scar would forever remind them of their one-sided battle with Jaeger.

"All of you," Reborn said with a deceptively even tone, "better _pick up your weight_ and properly _prove_ to Tsuna that he is someone to you, or I will show you something scarier than Jaeger." It wasn't an empty threat. Without having to look at Reborn, everyone understood that the hitman was serious.

With the message then shared, Reborn hung up on his phone and disappeared into the forest to who knew where — most likely to watch everyone's effort unseen — and Dino silently trudged to the Sawada Residence with his head bowed in thought while periodically tripping over nothing.

Hibari and Mukuro stood up to fight some more. Of the group who had originally faced Jaeger, they had been the last line of attack, yet they would have failed if Tsuna had not come. Their reason for sparring, while a common sight, had changed since that battle. They couldn't forget how pathetically the six of them – Byakuran, Xanxus, Squalo, Dino, Mukuro, and Hibari – had fallen like flies at Jaeger's hands, how Tsuna had conducted a condensed X Burner just in time, how Mukuro and Hibari had collapsed to the ground with broken collarbones, glad the battle was over. And then to hear the final words of _present please_….

Trident and tonfa clashed again, and when the two fighters made eye contact, they silently made an agreement. Never again would they be too weak to help Sawada Tsunayoshi.

* * *

Instead of a round of bullets or a two-ton hammer, Tsuna woke up to marshmallows.

Nana claimed the countless bags of the treat had been shipped to the house and addressed for Tsuna, and Lambo had attempted eating them, except I-Pin had interfered to stop the boy from stealing from Tsuna. The end result was a collision of children, plastic bags, and Tsuna, where the bags had burst and sent marshmallows everywhere. The sound of the bags bursting was what had woken Tsuna up, but the avalanche of marshmallows was what had kept him in bed, albeit unwillingly.

After Tsuna managed to surface himself and clean the mess up, he rushed out of the house in order to make it to class on time. Dino tried helping Tsuna leave quickly but mostly made things worse with Romario absent. Tsuna curiously wondered over his self-proclaimed older brother's awkward behaviour that morning until the brunette realised he had scant minutes before the bell rang.

At school, Hibari delayed Tsuna — an act that was out of character, as the prefect strictly enforced the school rules — and looked as if he was struggling to do or say something, but _class was really going to start!_ Tsuna managed to make it to his seat, only for his exhausted state to shoot up when the teacher introduced a new student, Rokudo Mukuro.

Rokudo **Mukuro**.

In **Hibari's** territory.

Just the acceptance of the fact made Tsuna weary for what was to come.

The teacher explained that Rokudo-kun had past medical problems, so despite his older age, he was going to be in the class's grade. The girls were naturally pleased, and Chrome sensed she was about to be showered by gifts from her female classmates in the near future when Mukuro greeted her as a dear cousin. Very quickly, Tsuna really, _really_ wished he had just allowed himself to drown in marshmallows for the rest of the morning so that he could miss Mukuro directly approaching him and _kissing him on the cheek._

It had been overwhelming for Chrome to do it the first time with a proceeding, "Bossu," but Mukuro doing it with a suave, "Ciao, Tsunayoshi-kun" was enough to make Tsuna blanch in apprehension of what his male mist guardian was planning and freeze in shock.

Gokudera was quick to put the pineapple freak a safe distance from the Tenth before checking that his beloved boss wasn't physically ill. Yamamoto just burst in laughter, though this time, it was not due to the lack of understanding of what recently occurred.

After calming Gokudera and pleading Yamamoto to not laugh at his situation, Tsuna found the school day moving on smoothly, aside from classmates' interrogations which were vaguely answered or outright avoided. Yet come lunchtime, at the sight of Hibari and Mukuro approaching Tsuna with a purpose, Tsuna thought it was a good time to figure out _what_ in the name of _Reborn's espresso_ was going on, or prepare for a fight that might not end with him in one piece. Or even the school building.

At Tsuna's stern gaze, cloud and mist fidgeted and immediately regretted moving their healing collarbones, when Yamamoto broke the serious atmosphere with a cheery announcement that his dad had prepared everyone lunch from a ten-pound fish Squalo had caught and ordered TakeSushi to make a dish out of. Yamamoto added that Squalo had provided wine from Xanxus, but Yamamoto had not brought the bottle due to them being underage.

Mukuro was going to school; Hibari wasn't paying attention to rules; Yamamoto, Squalo, and Xanxus seemed to have conspired over lunch food; and Gokudera and Ryohei were the least abnormal people present. Tsuna felt his brow twitch.

"**Reborn!**"

The answer to everything.

The infant hitman had the audacity to smile, entertained, as he came into the scene via Leon-paraglider and simply reply that everything was going fine. Tsuna stared hard at his tutor who didn't blink at his student's scrutiny, before Tsuna's hyper intuition acted up. The guardians curiously watched as the brunette suddenly exhaled slowly.

"It's okay," Tsuna assured, before he briefly laughed looking back on his morning. "In the beginning, I shouldn't be worrying over everyone so much like I have lately. I should trust you guys more."

Here, Tsuna addressed everyone, and Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei shared a look. Their boss had calmed down. Tsuna made sure to communicate with Byakuran, Xanxus, Squalo, and Dino as well that any promises Reborn must have made wouldn't happen and that he was grateful for their concern.

Apparently, when Mukuro decided to attend Namichuu in order to speak with Tsuna properly, the others of the Kokuyo gang agreed – begrudgingly – that perhaps education was a little important, and Tsuna was…_pleasantly_ surprised to hear from Fuuta that Chikusa, Ken, and MM were the boy's new classmates. The three had the same excuse as Mukuro for their significant age difference from the majority of their grade. Fran also became Fuuta's classmate since the two were the same age.

The day's horror finally kicked in when Tsuna learned that the Kokuyo gang, Gokudera, and Spanner were staying in the same apartment.

The old man who was the landlord didn't know what to make of the envelope of money that was anonymously left for him at his kitchen table, but Tsuna knew repairs were costly. There was also a little extra to make up for the stress the man would undoubtedly experience. Tsuna almost volunteered housing the young mafiosi himself just to spare the old man, except the Sawada household wasn't that big, and Tsuna wasn't that desperate to grow grey hair just yet.

That was how Mukuro joined Namichuu without first being bitten to death.

* * *

A/N: Tsuna is my absolute, most favourite KHR character, so there will obviously be some praise about him in this fic. He won't always be the main character in every chapter, though, because there were a lot of open ends in the final KHR chapter, i.e. the existence of Millefiore — the famiglia, and not Team Uni — which has yet to be explained or confirmed, among other loose ends.

Let me know what you think so far! ^_^

New A/N: Some edits made to allow the text to flow. Paragraph breaks have become a thing while I've been gone, huh.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gamma amusedly watched as chosen members of the Giglio Nero and Gesso Famiglias gazed around the Sawada household in wonder. Uni and Byakuran had agreed that a unification of the two famiglias would be beneficial for both parties, but as the Gesso Famiglia was young with Byakuran as boss only recently, and the Giglio Nero Famiglia had respectable roots with members wary of Gesso, a formal meeting had to take place.

Due to distrust between most members of both famiglias, the people with memories of the future — Uni, Gamma, Byakuran, and others — shared the desire of having the meeting take place on neutral grounds where both famiglias' wary members could loosen up. They agreed that the young Vongola Decimo's dining room — the location of the last serious meeting — was perfect.

As the meeting was official and centred on the unification of famiglias, more than just Gamma, Tazaru, Nosaru, and the six Funeral Wreaths attended, and the other members that came along were awed to step into the same place where the leaders of Vongola, Varia, Gesso, Shimon, and Cavallone, and prominent members of Giglio Nero and CEDEF, once sat together and discussed an alliance for the final Fight of the Rainbow.

The one who made the famous meeting happen was also the one who had accepted Byakuran and Uni's request, and was currently leading the mafiosi in to his house. Gamma's amusement furthered when the members that weren't familiar with the concept of "Millefiore" looked about the place in reverence and were oblivious as to exactly who the brunette speaking casually with Uni and Byakuran was. Everyone who came was at least mildly proficient in Japanese, but the members unaware they were in the presence of the Decimo probably didn't fully understand the three skies' conversation nor try to understand as they were busy gazing about the place.

For some reason, the young Decimo appeared to be in a state of worry he was attempting to dampen in the presence of company, but when the doorbell rang and Irie Shouichi and Spanner stepped in, the Decimo's face significantly cleared. He directed Byakuran and Uni to the dining room for their meeting before greeting the two new arrivals.

The formalities of the meeting were fulfilled very quickly, and soon everyone but the two bosses found themselves leaving the dining room to wait in the living room, which was a more casual version of the dining room with one wall dominated by sliding glass doors that opened to a backyard. The young Decimo was still engaged in conversation with the two "former Millefiore members," but their talk seemed to be reaching its end. Gokudera Hayato had appeared at some point and was standing by the door as he patiently watched his beloved Tenth.

Bruno, a Giglio Nero mafioso one rank below Gamma, leaned in to ask Gamma in a whisper the identity of the brunette who spoke and acted comfortably in the house.

The corners of Gamma's lips lifted slightly. "That's the Vongola Decimo."

Those who were oblivious to the brunette's identity fell in mute shock at the revelation, and the young don just finished his conversation when Bruno approached him and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for freeing the princess of her curse."

The Decimo didn't reply right away, and his gaze slid past Bruno to Gamma. The blonde man watched as the young don looked back to Bruno, when Kikyo called for his attention at the side with the murmur of, "The Decimo doesn't speak Italian, right?"

Gamma froze at the realization, and he stared hard at Gokudera, who was waiting for his boss at the door, prepared to open it for the brunette. Gamma knew the bomber had a background in Italy and was no doubt fluent in Italian, but Gokudera had yet to realise his boss's situation.

_Hey, brat! _Gamma mentally called out. _You call yourself right-hand man — save your boss right now!_

Despite Gamma's pointless mental shouting, Gokudera didn't budge from his spot, completely oblivious to Gamma's subtle distress. The Decimo opened his mouth, and Gamma knew he was too late, only to be surprised by the brunette's words and following smile.

"I couldn't have done it without the help of my friends, and Uni was worth the effort."

His speech had a Japanese accent, but it was Italian nonetheless, and Bruno smiled back to the young don before returning to his spot by Tazaru.

"Who knew the Vongola Decimo was humble and benevolent," Bruno commented quietly, and Gamma found himself slightly relaxing, as he knew that a boss's first impression on bosses of other famiglias was as crucial as it was on its members.

"Gamma-san, Kikyo-san," the young Vongola addressed, and the two looked up to meet his eyes. "My guardians and I have a sudden meeting to attend, and my…hum…charges are currently playing upstairs, but I have left Shouichi-kun and Spanner to make sure the kids don't interrupt anything just in case."

Gokudera leaned in and murmured something to his Tenth before stepping back to his position at the door, and the Decimo made a noise of realization before turning back to the two mafiosi.

"Do you mind, Gamma-san? Kikyo-san?" he finished, and the two "right-hand men" of their bosses nodded.

Satisfied, the brunette disappeared for the stairs before quickly reappearing with a curly-haired boy on his shoulder that could briefly be recognised as his lightning guardian. Boss and guardians left the household for their meeting, leaving behind former members of the future Millefiore with mafiosi oblivious to the history of betrayal and bloodshed between them.

* * *

Hanging out at the Sawada household wasn't uncommon among the Vongola members who resided in Namimori. After Tsuna held the meeting that decided the final results of the Arcobaleno Representative Battle, it felt like just about anyone could come there without causing a suffocating atmosphere.

Imagining Xanxus willingly in the same room as Tsuna was difficult enough — Byakuran and the tenth generation Vongola guardians seated at a table together was nigh impossible. That both circumstances were met in one meeting, _anyone_ would feel comfortable coming to the Sawada Residence. When Shouichi and Spanner arrived to simply hang out as they tinkered with parts one day, however, they were mildly surprised to see the makings of Millefiore crowded in the house.

Greetings from Tsuna caught their attention right after, and with a brief explanation of what was happening, Tsuna went on to describe a sudden request from him.

"Bianchi is out shopping with my mom to keep her out of the house during the meeting," Tsuna informed, "and Fuuta, I-Pin, and Lambo are upstairs playing. I know this is unexpected, but the Ninth called for a sudden meeting of me and my guardians. Reborn has already gone ahead to some secure location for us to speak with the Ninth on the phone. Do you two mind ensuring that the kids upstairs don't interrupt Millefiore's meeting?"

Refusing the brunette was hard when he looked so worn. By the time Tsuna finished speaking and Spanner and Shouichi accepted Tsuna's request, most of Millefiore's members had left the dining room for the living room, and Gokudera was already in the house to escort his boss to the secure location.

Tsuna quickly relayed the situation to Gamma and Kikyo in Italian after Shouichi and Spanner gave their answer, and with a quiet reminder from his storm guardian, Tsuna retrieved Lambo — who disliked being left out of anything, and Tsuna oddly enough listened — before the three left the house.

The mafiosi left in the room were either seated at a low Japanese table or standing in attention as was habit. Shouichi didn't miss how all six Funeral Wreaths, as well as Gamma and his honorary younger brothers were in the same room, with Shouichi and Spanner expected to "supervise" until the meeting was over. Shouichi fingered the headphones hanging around his neck. Was wearing them considered disrespectful while waiting for mafia bosses to finish their meeting?

Shouichi glanced at the inhabitants of the room again.

Oh, to _heck_ with disrespect. He needed his music if he wanted to leave the room _alive, conscious,_ and _without_ stomach pains — or at least, without the major kinds.

Shouichi sat down in an unoccupied spot at the low living room table and closed his eyes as Blood & Peppers played through his headphones, when at one point through the song, someone beyond the music was calling for Shouichi's attention in Japanese.

"You've got guts."

Shouichi opened his eyes and looked up to settle his gaze on a blonde man with a notably fresher appearance than the man Shouichi knew — or had known from the future, if one was technical. Spanner had made himself comfortable next to Shouichi — sucking on a lollipop and fiddling with his small laptop, as he obviously couldn't sit still for too long with his mind buzzing with ideas — so Shouichi understood that the blonde man sitting across from him was addressing solely Shouichi.

Lost on how to act with Gamma, a former "coworker" of Millefiore and a former ally during the final battle against the real Funeral Wreaths and Byakuran, Shouichi blinked for a beat at Gamma's statement.

"Sometimes I wonder about that."

His response must have left an impression on the famous Giglio Nero member since the young Gamma chuckled. Shouichi inwardly pouted. With guts or without, the auburnette at least felt confident in that _something_ must have been wrong with his stomach if it could produce great enough pains to make him double over, wincing, whenever he was over-stressed.

"I mean to say," Gamma's brief show of amusement finally passed, "you had guts to plan overthrowing an individual like Byakuran since your first year of college."

Shouichi was lost on a response to that, as well. He had been told many times that he had the insight, complexity, and planning of a genius, and Spanner and future Giannini had stated themselves that they thought of Shouichi as a rival. Even without knowing how Shouichi manipulated circumstances and organisations as the only one next to Byakuran and Uni in terms of power in Millefiore for his betrayal to be successful, people had voiced over and again how they respected Shouichi as a bright-minded individual.

"Vongola or Millefiore, in the end you're not one for politics, are you?" Gamma went on, and Shouichi finally deigned the blonde's words with a response: a silent hike of the brow.

Shouichi did not ask for clarification on Gamma's meaning for such a question; he was already several steps ahead in the conversation from the moment Gamma spoke. In reality, he was curious as to Gamma's reason for bringing such topics up. Reading the silence, Gamma continued.

"The only reason you joined Vongola was because it had rings that could defy Millefiore's Mare rings on an equal level," the blonde stated. They understood that he didn't mention the Arcobaleno pacifiers because those had been under Uni's care at the time, and that using the pacifiers for offence never was an intent of Uni's even before the creation of Millefiore. "You could have ultimately joined Gesso, Giglio Nero, or 'Millefiore' so long as a solution to the future Trinisette crisis could be found through those famiglias. In fact, you wouldn't currently be in _any_ famiglia at all if you didn't have to."

"Except that I already promised an alliance with the future Tsunayoshi-kun, hence my being a Vongola member today," Shouichi finally spoke, startling a few listening in on the conversation at the sudden sound of his voice. Slipping his headphones off to rest around his neck, Shouichi sent a flat gaze to Gamma. "What is your point, Gamma-san?"

Nosaru and Tazaru glanced at each other and at Gamma. Their respected big brother believed in efficient speech that conveyed messages with the least number of words, but as the auburn-haired squad capt—eh, the _Vongola member_ had noticed, Gamma was being quite talkative.

"Curiosity," Gamma finally replied. When his face softened a notch as he would when thinking of Aria or Uni, Nosaru and Tazaru relaxed in the familiarity of the physiognomy. "In light of recent events, I wonder how children can act in a self-confidence and determination adults struggle to have."

"A first year university student is hardly a child," Shouichi reminded.

"Ah, but even at this age, you were aiding your future self in endeavours no one else would have pursued." At this, the auburnette fell silent, unable to deny Gamma's words.

"Is it perhaps," Shouichi began, and when his lips twitched in a brief smile, those listening leaned in a little, "that besides Uni-san, Gamma-san looks up to Tsunayoshi-kun and his guardians as well?"

At Gamma's telling silence, everyone knew Shouichi had hit a bull's eye on understanding Gamma's character. A few were silently impressed how quickly the fifteen-year-old drew out enough from Gamma to attain a grasp of the workings of the blonde's heart.

The only reason Shouichi was able to act this way and speak comfortably with an adult — and an experienced, respected mafioso, much less — was his lack of realisation that _other_ mafiosi were paying attention to his and Gamma's conversation. Unbeknownst to Shouichi, his calm and clear-gazed demeanour reminded former Millefiore members from the future that the auburn-haired teenager before them was still spiritually the ten years later Irie Shouichi they knew: Millefiore's youngest captain, head of the White Spell's 2nd Rose Squad, and would-have-been-Sun Funeral Wreath if Byakuran had not known of Shouichi planning to betray him all along.

Kikyo wasn't ignorant, either. He knew Byakuran originally favoured the real Funeral Wreaths solely for their flame prowess and loyalty, and among them, Kikyo was the only one with the brains and leadership capacity to handle the five of them when Byakuran wasn't around to give direct instructions. If not for their flame abilities, and Irie Shouichi's previously defiant intent, Kikyo recognised and begrudgingly acknowledged that the auburn-haired ma—_child_ was most suited for the role as Byakuran's right-hand man and — dare he think it — trusted Funeral Wreath.

What was this about the Vongola X Generation, though? Perhaps the child-boss was a _little_ powerful, intuitive, and strong-hearted — Byakuran-sama wouldn't let himself be beaten by just _anyone_ — and from what Kikyo could understand, Gamma and the Tenth's Storm Guardian had some sort of right-hand man understanding going on between them. But for Gamma to _look_ _up_ to the entire group of child-guardians? Irie Shouichi obviously understood something Kikyo missed, as the auburnette finally gave a small, secretive smile meant for Gamma to notice.

"Gamma-san, are you wondering something along the lines of, 'why do such small people try to put up with so much?'" Shouichi asked, and Gamma finally shook himself out of his surprise.

When the blonde man opened his mouth, however, the meeting room door opened, and everyone straightened up to greet their respective bosses as they stepped out. A stack of papers were in Byakuran and Uni's hands each, no doubt describing the process of the merging of their two famiglias, but in a way, it was already official.

Millefiore was born.

* * *

Tsuna returned home with Lambo, Gokudera, and Reborn, the brunette wearing a grim expression. The Millefiore group was gone already, but Shouichi, Spanner, Fuuta, and I-Pin were at the ground floor. Spanner was employing I-Pin to help him with small parts of a project that was moved to the backyard just in case something blew up, and Lambo quickly joined them in hopes of receiving lollipops from Spanner. Gokudera followed suit due to his Tenth's wishes.

Shouichi seemed to be in the middle of revealing something to Fuuta when Tsuna, Lambo, Gokudera, and Reborn arrived, and with a secretive pleading glance at Reborn from Tsuna, the hitman reluctantly left for another room as Tsuna joined Shouichi at the living room table.

"Here."

Fuuta watched curiously as Shouichi pushed a laptop towards him. Fuuta's princely crest was printed on the laptop, and with the screen closed shut, two halves of a handle clicked together to make the durable laptop resemble a miniature briefcase. Fuuta opened and turned on the laptop to discover a software installed that made recording and accessing his rankings easy. Shouichi rubbed his head, slightly embarrassed in his sudden present.

"I was a little bored, to be honest, but I made sure it has the uttermost safe and secure system so that no one can hack it. It has long battery life, and it's also bulletproof and grenade-proof, just in case."

Tsuna watched with a smile on his face as Fuuta tackled Shouichi in a hug. "Thanks, Shou-nii!"

Shouichi's face froze at that, and Tsuna understood the auburnette's reaction. For Shouichi, it was startling to hear the shortened version of his name from a child who meant well and did not know that the last person to call Shouichi by the nickname was someone he was still torn between treating as a past friend or an enemy.

When Fuuta let go and smiled at Shouichi, the auburnette's face cleared and he smiled back, and Fuuta excitedly left the Sawada living room to transfer his rankings from his book to his new laptop. Tsuna sat down with Shouichi at the low Japanese table in the middle of the room.

"You made Fuuta look like Christmas came early," the brunette joked, and Shouichi laughed as he fiddled with parts, no doubt engaging in another project.

"The last time I made a laptop was for Byakuran-san," he admitted, "but that was years ago when we were still in university…." His voice trailed off, and his hands didn't stop moving, but Tsuna knew his friend had recognised the oddities of his speech.

"Did Byakuran choose you as the 'Sun Funeral Wreath' because of your flames, or did he make his decision before he knew of your attribute?" Tsuna asked, and Shouichi glanced at the young don, inwardly grateful the brunette wasn't hesitant to talk about the future with Shouichi. Everyone else mostly acted awkward about it.

"I don't know," Shouichi replied. "I may have influenced his choice, however." When Tsuna raised a brow, Shouichi's face flushed in embarrassment. "In the future, when Byakuran-san recently became boss and discovered I liked sunsets, he relocated me to a west-side office room facing the most stunning sunset anyone could ever see."

Tsuna smiled softly in thought. "That's right…Shouichi-kun is like that." At Shouichi's confused look, Tsuna explained. "Onii-san is like the midday sun, which shines the most when on top of the world in full energy. Shouichi-kun is like the sunset, which is most brilliant when touching a limitless horizon, like the sea."

Shouichi's head shot up to look at Tsuna, surprised how the brunette summed up the differences between him and the tenth generation sun guardian so effortlessly.

Tsuna's intuition sparked, and he added, "Don't think highly of me, Shouichi-kun, because while I understand this…Byakuran does too."

Shouichi fell silent in thought at that.

Tsuna continued. "You are not oblivious to my worried glances, I know, but I think one thing you aren't aware of is how, when you look at me, you see Byakuran." Shouichi immediately felt guilty and opened his mouth to speak. Tsuna put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you talk with him? Maybe then, you can decide if he's someone you want to call a friend or not."

"But Tsunayoshi-kun!" Shouichi protested, metal parts forgotten in his hands, "Byakuran-san will talk in circles and lead me around until I leave with him learning something from me, and with me only as confused as when I came!"

Tsuna chuckled at his friend's reaction. "If there's one thing Reborn has instilled in me, it's that you never know what you can do until you try."

Shouichi looked away in thought. Eventually, he smiled. "Thank you, Tsunayoshi-kun."

As Tsuna watched the auburn-haired teen leave the room, his lips thinned. The results of Byakuran and Shouichi's talk could save or end Shouichi's life. According to the Ninth, the upper echelon of Vongola had already made their decision regarding the auburn-haired teen. All that was left was for Tsuna and his guardians to make theirs — and the deadline was the end of today.

* * *

A/N: Phew, two chapters pulled out of the void and posted. The next update can be expected at the end of next week.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Irie Shouichi was a wild card.

He could make or break Vongola if he so wished to.

Everyone with memories or experience of the war-torn future couldn't deny his intellect and manipulation abilities. Gamma wasn't the only one to notice how Shouichi wasn't the kind to be in any sort of political group, either. Shouichi was the type to think in black and white, and just as he helped crumble and destroy Millefiore by using another famiglia, he could just as readily do similarly to Vongola if it meant saving the world.

A pragmatist who sought neither personal gains nor the happiness of others. The bottom line of his life's work would always be the world's survival.

Publically, Shouichi's origins were debated. Certain mafiosi, including the Tenth Generation, made no effort to explain or comment on his existence. Still, rumours spread of a strategist acknowledged by Gesso and Giglio Nero, and no amount of investigation could give base to them, only confirm their existence. The certainty inspired further rumours that the strategist once belonged to either of the families. Once Vongola connected Shouichi to the mysterious figure, the famiglia was disturbed over its young — and potentially dangerous — new member, and the flustered state of the upper echelon only magnified with the auburnette's close proximity to the boss candidate.

Of those concerned with the membership of one Irie Shouichi, only the future Decimo and his guardians themselves had not announced an intent to kick Shouichi out or kill him.

Somewhere in Italy, Vongola mafiosi reacted to their superiors' restlessness, as if sensing the countdown to one Irie Shouichi's fate. The staff of the Vongola mansion were especially sensitive, including one guard named Pierro, who prided himself in knowing the latest gossip in and around the Vongola Famiglia.

Pierro was a loyal member of the famiglia, albeit laid back in nature. He knew who to make friends with and who not to anger, so he got along with his fellow Vongola mafiosi famously. The cooks of the Vongola mansion were probably Pierro's favourite mafiosi; not much past an honest compliment over their efficiency or cooking was needed to please them, and they knew the most about happenings in the famiglia before anyone else did.

It was during clean-up that Pierro found himself smoking just outside the kitchen door — so as not to anger the kitchen staff; they were worse than a pack of lions, Pierro swore — conversing with the cooks and inwardly frowning at the news he was hearing.

"…It looks like only Nono and a few of his guardians want Irie in the famiglia. Everyone else wants the boy out of the famiglia or killed," a cook finished, and Pierro hummed in thought.

"What of the Tenth?" Pierro asked from the doorway. Of the big names and titles the cooks had mentioned so far, there was a concerning absence in the conversation of the tenth generation who had introduced Irie to the famiglia.

A cook's lips thinned in thought before replying. "His guardians are silent on the matter. It appears they are following his will, but are aware of the possible repercussions of officially supporting an unpredictable figure like Shouichi Irie. Decimo has spoken of allowing Irie to stay, but has yet to officially decide. For now, he's fending off Signor Reborn from keeping a constant eye on Irie."

The ex-Arcobaleno was a hitman; killing a child wouldn't be the first time. No doubt the Tenth knew his tutor's intentions in wanting to watch over Irie.

Pierro sighed. "This is no good. The only superiors who haven't decided on an opinion are the Tenth and his guardians, and their statements are the most important."

The cooks nodded, and another spoke up. "Members of the famiglia are stirring, as well. Some have voiced their dislike for an indecisive future boss."

Pierro glanced out a nearby window, partly to watch the smoke of his cigarette dance away, partly to lose himself in thought. _What are you thinking right now, Decimo?_

* * *

Tsuna anxiously tapped his pencil against his open math book, but no one's minds were on their homework. Once Shouichi had left the Sawada residence, Tsuna and his guardians had gathered in the living room under the guise of a group study session, since Nana was most likely on her way home from the shopping trip already. Anyone who looked properly could see the unsettling tension — or was it stress? — lying in the children's forms. Reborn seemed to be the only one unaffected, except for his displeasure at his student's caution over Shouichi's safety. Tsuna had decided that he'd make sure Reborn and Shouichi weren't in the same room for the rest of the day.

Hibari sent an annoyed look at Tsuna, and the tapping stopped, but Tsuna looked no less worried. "We were given a very small window of time to decide our opinions on Shouichi-kun," Tsuna suddenly sighed in the thick silence, and everyone's eyes turned to him. Tsuna wanted to massage his temples as he thought about his day so far. "I wish Nono had at least given us a heads up when the idea of deciding whether or not to kill Shouichi-kun started coming up in Vongola back in Italy."

It wasn't really to kill or not to kill. The three main options were: to allow Shouichi to stay in the famiglia; to kick the redhead out where he could be assassinated by anyone wary of his abilities; or to kill the redhead without bothering to kick him out. Tsuna didn't like how most of Vongola seemed to favour the latter two options.

"It's training," Reborn said like it explained everything. "He's preparing you to be able to make tough decisions quickly."

Some of those in the room frowned, but said nothing. When Tsuna straightened up a bit, everyone knew he had allowed himself a moment of worry but was now returning to the conversation as their boss. "I want Shouichi to live," Tsuna said, and his guardians nodded. They had all voiced in their own manner that they trusted Tsuna's decision and would support it.

For Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Chrome, it was out of fondness for Tsuna and gratitude for Shouichi's past dedication in helping them out. Lambo had said that he liked the funny stomach ache-prone guy enough. Mukuro had basically spoken for himself and Hibari, though considering the pair's dislike for anything related to Jaeger, it hadn't been too surprising.

"_Irie Shouichi was one of the creators of the decoy puppets that helped lead to the defeat Vendicare,"_ the illusionist had stated simply. Anyone who had a hand in beating Vendicare was good enough in Mukuro's books.

Tsuna pulled himself out of his thoughts. "From what I understand of the dominant opinion over in Italy, almost no one wants Shouichi-kun part of Vongola or alive, which is why I'm concerned over the voting. If there's a majority vote against Shouichi-kun, there's not much I can do — unless," Tsuna looked at Reborn, "the process is different for Vongola."

Yamamoto looked lost as well. "None of us really knows how Vongola works," he acknowledged.

Reborn met Tsuna's eyes. "All of your guardians, including yourself, don't come from or don't have a background in Vongola like the boss and guardians of the past eight generations." He laid out their disadvantage, plain and simple.

"At least half of us have experience with the mafia," Tsuna pointed out hopefully.

"After what has happened over the course of the year, I'd say we all do," Gokudera spoke up, "but if you speak according to length of time, Jyuudaime, don't include the dumb cow."

"You can speak Italian, though, right Lambo?" Tsuna turned to the Bovino.

"_Vecchio_ always did, but nanny taught me her words!" Lambo was quick to answer.

Tsuna inwardly sweat dropped at the child's statement. As Tsuna was becoming more familiar with Italian courtesy to Reborn and Gokudera's tutoring, and due to his experience hearing Xanxus's mixed Italian-Japanese speech, Tsuna understood that Lambo had referred to the boss of the Bovino Famiglia as "old man." Was the Bovino don Lambo's father? On another note, Lambo's nanny was apparently the one responsible for Lambo's knowledge of Japanese?

"The decision doesn't run so much by vote as it does by a matter of opinion," Reborn began explaining, cutting off Tsuna's train of thought. "If everyone at the table agrees with one course of action to be dealt on the individual considered, then the act is carried out. If even one person opposes everyone's opinion, however, the conclusion becomes Cervello's to decide."

"Alright," Tsuna said, and he thoughtfully nodded with a determined air. "We can work with that."

* * *

After the "group study session," Gokudera stayed behind to help his tenth tidy up the living room. The silverette had noticed that despite a lengthy amount of time having passed since he had entered the Sawada residence, Shouichi was still absent.

"Jyuudaime?" he asked.

Tsuna's eyes were far off, but they snapped back to the present at the sound of Gokudera's voice. "Sorry, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna apologised for his distracted state with a smile. The Tenth was usually like that when he had a lot on his plate; Gokudera made a mental note to check with Reborn over the brunette's schedule.

In the present, Gokudera shuffled in place. "Where is Irie?" he asked.

"I sent him to talk with Byakuran and maybe rekindle their friendship," Tsuna replied honestly. Most likely, he knew Gokudera's motive behind helping clean up besides genuinely wanting to help.

Gokudera hesitated. "Does Jyuudaime want Irie to leave Vongola?"

Tsuna didn't exactly look away in worry or guilt, but he did tiredly gesture for the both of them to sit down. "I know many officials will vote for killing Shouichi-kun, however…I never want to be an obstacle to anyone's friendship. If Shouichi is voted out of the famiglia, I can protect him from possible assassination attempts. That would be an act opposing Vongola, but…" Tsuna sighed, torn between his emotions. "Is," Tsuna bit his lip, "…Is that bad?

Gokudera smiled softly. "Jyuudaime cares for people individually. That is why I follow your will."

* * *

Behind the door was a teenager who was recovering from a fatal injury, but for one reason or another, Shouichi found it difficult to even knock in apprehension of what said teenager would do. Byakuran was usually the type who would accept rest and medical attention for a day, but past that…well, the row of destroyed hospital rooms in Namimori Hospital could attest to the white-haired teen's limit, although he had help from individuals like Xanxus and Hibari….

Gamma had quickly directed Shouichi to the location of Byakuran's room with near-pleading to _get the disaster to stay in bed for at least an hour _when Shouichi had approached the villa Millefiore was renting. If Byakuran thought Shouichi was the back up to Millefiore's medical squad, Shouichi didn't think his desire to speak with the white-haired teen would be fulfilled.

Falling on his butt due to his knees weakening in apprehensive thought, Shouichi massaged his eyes. Maybe if he opened the door from the floor, any thermometer or other projectile thrown by Byakuran would miss Shouichi. The auburnette would have maybe five seconds to quickly say what he could before he'd be mowed down by marshmallows.

"Shou-chan?"

_Holy Mosca, he heard my thoughts!_ Shouichi turned to see Byakuran standing behind him, but the white-haired teen showed no sign of knowing the battle plan that was running through Shouichi's mind.

Byakuran gave his usual closed-eyed smile. "Does Shou-chan have a stomachache?"

Never mind. The marshmallow teen must have interpreted Shouichi's reason for being in front of his door to be Millefiore's last hope in having him to stay in bed long enough, and that the auburnette's stomach was hurting in nervousness at the task he was given. While Shouichi himself wouldn't be surprised if he was having a stomach ulcer, the lack of pain made the idea false, but he nodded anyway and stood up.

"Byakuran-san is sharp, as always," Shouichi grinned sheepishly.

Byakuran's eyes widened minutely, before they closed again in a content, cat-like smile. "Shou-chan truly is the most reliably interesting person I know."

Shouichi knew Byakuran nearly fell for his lie — a near-accomplishment no one else could do like the auburnette. After all, how else could the two best friends have ultimately betrayed each other, and even have had a hand in nearly taking the other's life? Byakuran was a master manipulator, and Shouichi was a master strategist whose back up plans had back ups. Their friendship had been unique. Shouichi was a complex-hearted being, and Byakuran liked unlocking and playing with hearts. Shouichi was the only puzzle Byakuran encountered that, as he was one piece closer to completing the puzzle, Shouichi would move one step closer to understanding _him_.

Byakuran leaned back on one foot with his hands in his pockets, curious over the real reason for the auburnette's presence in front of his door. "What is Shou-chan here for?"

"A friend."

Byakuran's eyes suddenly fully opened, and he stared at Shouichi in mute surprise. The auburnette offered a small, genuine smile, confirming he meant what he said. Byakuran tackled him in a hug with a, "Shou-chan!" and for the first time in a long time, Shouichi laughed in Byakuran's presence.

In just one meeting, the two had cleared away any doubts that obstructed their being able to have the genuine friendship they once had and secretly — to never be admitted even under the pain of death — missed.

It was still tough having Byakuran stay in bed, though.

* * *

When Shouichi returned to the Sawada household and looked at Tsuna without a distant gaze in thinking of Byakuran, Tsuna knew his auburnette friend had finally come to an inner peace. With Shouichi still considering himself a member of Vongola and not wishing to transfer to Millefiore despite rekindling his friendship with Byakuran, Tsuna knew for a fact that Shouichi was someone he could trust as part of Vongola.

Having made his decision, Tsuna confidently joined his guardians and Reborn to leave for the hotel ballroom floor rented for this occasion. In the ballroom, holograms and a table were set up, and the group seated themselves at one side of the table with Tsuna in the middle.

The holograms turned on when the time of the meeting began, and the ballroom was filled with a real-life projection of a large meeting room in Italy, important heads of the different branches of Vongola all seated at the table. The Ninth and his guardians were across from Tsuna and his guardians at the "table," and occupying three chairs' worth of space at one side of the table were three standing Cervello women, with the female in the middle obviously of higher rank.

The men and women at the table were no doubt informed of the recent official "birth" of Millefiore, since Tsuna had told the Ninth earlier that day, and the Ninth in turn had shared the info with his guardians, where the news would have leaked down from there. In light of Millefiore's creation, Shouichi's rumoured connections could only have caught on fire.

In Italian, the men and women at the table announced their opinions on whether Shouichi Irie was to stay as a member of Vongola or was to be killed or kicked out of the famiglia. Nono and his guardians gave mixed opinions, with only the Ninth and a few of his guardians agreeing Shouichi should stay. When announcements went around the table and reached the tenth generation, Tsuna stated he was for Shouichi staying, to which his guardians followed suite. After everyone finished sharing their opinions, a middle-aged man stood up in his chair, addressing Tsuna's decision.

"I protest!" he began loudly. "Shouichi Irie is a threat to this famiglia! It is said he is close to a member of the new Millefiore Famiglia, which can rival Vongola in influence!"

_Here it comes,_ Tsuna thought, and he stood up to formally speak as well. "Threat?" Tsuna made sure to look straight into the man's eyes. "Quite the contrary. Shouichi-kun is one of Vongola's most loyal members. There was a time where he sacrificed his privacy, dreams, and nearly his life for the survival of this famiglia. He has fulfilled the role of a sun to his uttermost best."

The middle-aged man wasn't deterred by Tsuna's claim. "I have never heard of this!" he insisted.

Tsuna's lips thinned. "What Shouichi-kun did is off the records, but my guardians, Reborn, and Nono can attest to my statement."

This time, a Cervello woman spoke up. "Is this true, Nono?"

"What Tsuna claims is no lie," the Ninth confirmed.

The man who stood up still stuck to his opinion. "Self-sacrificing or not, we cannot deny Shouichi Irie's connections with the Millefiore Famiglia. What if he still believes Millefiore to be a private ally when it becomes a threat to Vongola? An unreliable character like Irie has to be dealt with swiftly in the beginning."

Tsuna began to realise the true difficulty of politics. In order for situations to be dealt with justly, decisions like this one centred on Shouichi had to be based off logic, and not emotion. How could Tsuna convey Shouichi's good will? Even as a boss candidate, if Tsuna began speaking his heart, he could be accused of emotionally appealing to the Ninth — in fact, it was _especially_ because he was a boss candidate that Tsuna shouldn't do so, as it would heavily hurt his image to members of the famiglia and make it appear like Tsuna only knew how to give speeches and not resolve problems readily and rationally.

Tsuna remembered the sight of Fuuta hugging Shouichi in gratitude over his new laptop, and of an older, wounded Shouichi lying on pavement with a marker over his heart dry of sun flames. If Millefiore became a threat to Vongola, Tsuna doubted Shouichi would abandon Vongola so easily.

Gazing at many of the men and women before him, Tsuna could see how they depended on Vongola's traditional reasoning on how to deal with members. Inwardly, he pouted. Humans weren't robots; they had their own kind of intuition and way of reading people, and hard facts didn't always explain the reason behind _why_ such facts were what they were. Shouichi was friends with Byakuran, but in a way, so was Tsuna, though not to the same extent. Nono had said Tsuna was the wind of change Vongola needed, so Tsuna decided he'd point out a course of action the mafiosi before him had called for that had been an old-fashioned idea and nearly disastrous.

"I myself still thought of the Shimon Famiglia as friends even when they declared war on us," Tsuna began, "and if I had gone into battle against them with the intent to kill like _many_ of you seemed to favour and voice at the time, we would not have known of Daemon Spade's existence and the true history between the Vongola and Shimon Famiglias."

Fact faced fact, and Tsuna inwardly cheered when he managed to defend Shouichi in a way that the mafioso before him acknowledged with a responding silence as he sat down. After Tsuna seated himself as well and no one else stood up to oppose either opinion, the high-ranked Cervello woman cleared her throat.

"Shouichi Irie has fulfilled the roles that a devoted member of the Vongola Famiglia would do according to Tsunayoshi Sawada's statement and Nono's confirmation," she stated. "It is decided: Shouichi Irie will stay as part of the Vongola famiglia — however, he will be under probation for one year. Cervello shall supervise him for that period."

* * *

The guilt nearly physically pained Tsuna with how Shouichi was completely understanding and unoffended over Tsuna's need for secrecy and caution. As for Cervello, true to their word, they sent their own women to supervise Shouichi. The redhead's new company was a pair of women — pink-haired and nearly identical, as was the nature of Cervello's members — named Destra and Sinistra. They, like their names, followed Shouichi everywhere on his left and right side and a little behind him, almost like guards. Spanner was the first Shouichi turned to when the redhead realised that his pink shadows were supposed to follow him for no less than a year.

Spanner sucked hard on his lollipop, willing his features to remain straight-faced, but when Shouichi stared unamused at him, the blonde's lips twitched. "Sh-Shouichi," he greeted, stumbling on the first syllable due to a chortle bubbling up in his throat.

"You're laughing at me," Shouichi stated.

"No I'm nnnn…" Spanner looked away, his body shaking in silent laughter.

Shouichi sighed, and Spanner laughed harder, finally aloud for the world to hear. Turning to face his friend again, Spanner cleared his throat, but his breath betrayed him with a, "Pfft." Shouichi's brow twitched at his friend's reaction.

Spanner held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "Still, doesn't this look…familiar?"

Shouichi was standing at Spanner's apartment door with Destra and Sinistra behind him on either side, Spanner himself in his apartment having just opened his door when Shouichi rang the doorbell. The Cervello women were dressed in the currently popular Japanese female clothing in order to "blend in," and Shouichi had appeared in his favourite turquoise shirt with a red stripe going across it, and khaki pants.

The sight of attractive, identical females on either side of a casually dressed and meek "nerd" was odd enough. That Spanner could imagine his friend in an "evil genius" persona with the young women as faithful subordinates made the clashing but similar images evoke much amusement from Spanner.

"Familiar?" Destra echoed, trying to understand the blonde friend of the boy under her charge.

Spanner vaguely gestured at the auburnette before him. "This isn't the first time I've seen women hanging on each arm of—"

Shouichi whacked Spanner with a folder.

"They weren't _hanging,_ they were,"

"—Serving?" Spanner finished, and Shouichi's face flushed to a similar colour to his hair as he scrambled to whack his friend again. Spanner laughed. "Following orders?" he went on, and Shouichi chased him into the apartment with a now bent folder.

When they calmed down, Spanner invited Shouichi to sit with him at his kitchen table, where Destra and Sininstra sat at their respective sides by Shouichi while Spanner was directly across from the redhead.

"What's the folder for?" Spanner asked, and Shouichi opened it, allowing his friend to look.

"I'm moving in next door to you. I decided that in light of my recent situation, I should live away from my mom and sister — at least until my probation is over."

Spanner hummed in thought, before he burst in laughter again. "You shouldn't hide from your family that these two ladies _just can't leave you alone._"

Shouichi glared at him. "I hope you choke on your lollipop and die laughing."

Spanner laughed his heart out anyway.

* * *

A/N: Pierro isn't gone — he _will_ show up in future chapters. As for updating, I may have to diverge from a weekly update to maybe every other week due to my current inspiration over Bleach and Assassin's Creed ;p

Thank you so much for supporting me so far! Keep the reviews coming — the more I see, the faster I update! Also, for more Shouichi, you can go to my 51-centric fic, _Mafia Science Convention_.

New A/N: Given that Mafia Science Convention is, like the rest of my fics, removed from FFN, you may contact me for access to the google drive that has all my fics saved. Fair warning, most fics are in pdf format and thus might not be mobile friendly. Also given that finals weeks are hitting, the next update will come in a few weeks. Thanks for your patience!


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